Video

Experts at UH Available to Discuss Issues Surrounding the Tsunami

As you consider stories for your continuing coverage of the tsunami,
the University of Houston offers these experts in various fields as possible
resources.

Science of Tsunamis

Shuhab D. Khan, assistant professor of geosciences,
is involved in an NSF funded global scale project to develop a geoinformatics
system for understanding the tectonics of Tethys, part of which was hit
by the tsunami. The area extends from SE Asia to Gibraltar, which is heavily
troubled by collision-related earthquakes and volcanoes.
Phone: (713) 743-3411
E-mail: sdkhan@uh.edu

Needs shift quickly during tragedies like the tsunami, says economics
professor Tom DeGregori, so it’s important to remain
adaptable during the rebuilding process. DeGregori has helped mobilize
long-term recovery efforts in Asia during a number of past disaster interventions
including the floods in Mozambique and the hurricane in Grenada.
Phone: (713) 743-3838
Fax: (713) 743-3798
E-mail: trdegreg@uh.edu

The survivors of the recent tsunami are tending to their physical wounds,
but their psychological scars may take longer to heal. Jeremy
Pettit, assistant professor of psychology, can address the anxieties
faced by disaster survivors.
Cell: (713) 743-8573
E-mail: jpettit@uh.edu

The impact of disasters and other trauma on an individual may not be
apparent in the immediate days and weeks following the event. Mary
Armsworth, associate professor of educational psychology, is
an expert in the effects of trauma and responding to trauma.
Phone: (713) 743-9815
E-mail:marmsworth@uh.edu

Architecture and Structures

The force of a natural disaster of this magnitude can pulverize buildings
and other structures or else render them uninhabitable. Joe Colaco,
professor at the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture, can provide
insight into the effects of a natural event of this magnitude on the integrity
of structures and the prudent responses needed.
Phone: (713) 629-1982
E-mail:jcolaco@uh.edu

Bill Price, a professor at the College of Architecture,
and his students will adopt a Thai village with the intention of designing
a prototype shelter for survivors. Price and a graduate student from Thailand
are surveying the tsunami-struck area to assess damage.
Phone: (713) 823-9582
E-mail:bpprice@hotmail.com or
wprice@uh.edu